Word page
Gimcrack describes something attractive at first glance but poorly made underneath. It can also be used as a noun for a cheap, gaudy little object.
Gimcrack describes something attractive at first glance but poorly made underneath. It can also be used as a noun for a cheap, gaudy little object.
It feels absurd because the sound is half toy and half collapse. Gimcrack seems to announce that the thing in question will glitter, wobble, and disappoint.
English has used gimcrack for centuries to sneer at flashy objects with no real substance. The word survived because it says more than cheap: it implies decorative emptiness.
Yes, though Gimcrack is not one of the most common words in everyday conversation. It tends to appear when a writer wants something more vivid, precise, or distinctive than a plain alternative.
Use Gimcrack when you want something more vivid, distinctive, or precise than a flatter everyday alternative. It works best in writing that welcomes color and voice.
bauble, baublet, bibelot, bits-and-bobs, bric-a-brac
clarity, simplicity, plainness
